Your Bolivar Ferry Experience Might Be Annoying For A While (Updated)

If your time-off plans include a leisurely cruise on the Bolivar Ferry this holiday season, expect things to be a little more leisurely than usual.

One of the ferries is in the shop for emergency repairs, TxDOT's Karen Othon says, and another is in for regularly scheduled maintenance.

That means if anything goes wrong with the three ferries left, it could result in longer waits.

"Any unforeseen breakdowns will result in a reduction in service to two vessels," she says. "Ferry maintenance personnel will make every effort to make repairs to the ferry vessel Gibb Gilchrist as quickly as possible to minimize any inconvenience during this reduction in service."

Scheduled inspections will cause delays.

A U.S. Coast Guard inspection is scheduled for the ferry vessel Robert H. Dedman on Wednesday, December 22, 2010, at 9AM, and Thursday, December 23, 2010, at 9 AM, which will result in a two vessel operation until the vessel passes inspection. Ferry maintenance personnel will strive to minimize the downtime on the vessel

If you want to find out how things are going before you go, you can call 409-795-2230 for constantly updated status reports.

Update: On Tuesday TxDOT announced "To minimize any potential delays, the scheduled ferry vessel inspection for the Robert H. Dedman has been postponed until after the first of the year."